BUILD YOUR START-UP IN 10 WEEKS WITH ANTLER EAST AFRICA
Start strong, scale fast with Antler in Nairobi.
From day zero, we support and mentor founders driving innovation forward.
Nairobi
Founder community
.avif)
Join our community at ABC place, with free office space for early-stage founders. This can also be a great place to find a potential co-founder.
Validate your ideas
Get access to a global network of advisors, investors and founders to pressure-test and move your idea further faster.
Raise VC funding
Get your first VC check from us of up to $250k and more than $1 million in tech-credits. We can fund portfolio outliers from pre-seed till Series-C.
Partner with a global leader
Scale your startup with a global partner that offers expertise and connections across 6 continents.
WHO IS ANTLER EAST AFRICA FOR?
We’re an early-stage VC looking for people committed to turning their ambitious ideas into game-changing businesses for Africa.
If you're an early stage venture looking for your first capital, or just have an idea in the making, Antler is the right place for you to bring that venture to the next level!
Our Africa VC fund is sector agnostic and funds scalable tech- and tech-light innovation for Africa. We invest up to $250k, split into an initial ticket of $100k for 10% equity plus an additional pre-committed $150k to match your next VC-led funding round and terms.
In addition we offer all founders (whether funded or not) more than $850k in tech-credits, free office space in our founder community at ABC place, and access to Antler’s global network of mentors, investors and fellow founders!
Individuals
Do you have a great startup idea you’d love to launch?
Start Date: October 12, 2026
Every 6 months Antler brings together a small group of ambitious individuals for an in-person Founder Residency in Nairobi where we turn an idea into a market-ready product and funded startup in just 10 weeks. As prior founders, we know that the founder journey can be both tough and lonely sometimes, so why not meet, learn, and co-create in our community with exceptional builders and advisors - all set up to get you going further and faster!
Join us to turn your startup vision into reality!
Teams
Already have a dream team or an MVP-stage startup?
Start Date: October 12, 2026
Early-stage teams with an MVP or early customer validation are welcome to apply to Antler for pre-seed funding. Antler’s due diligence in an existing startup team is through a 10-week in-person Founder Residency, uniquely designed to accelerate each startup through mentors and revenue-generating opportunities - all designed to expand your network and reach new milestones further and faster.
We believe this is the best way to get to know the startup teams we invest in (and for founders to get to know us), building a strong foundation for a long-term investor relationship. Through its local and global funds, Antler can fund its portfolio from pre-seed till Series-C.
The application process
The Founder Residency application process (for individuals and/or teams) takes about 2-3 weeks to complete. Once you apply, our team will guide you through the entire process and will be available to answer any question you may have.
Apply
All applications are filed using this link: antler.co/apply
If applying as an:
- Individual: submit your application using your LinkedIn URL or CV
- Team: include your pitch deck along with a CV or LinkedIn URL for all your co-founder(s)
First Interview
After reviewing your application, Antler will shortlist founders for a 30-minute interview. This session assesses your drive, motivations, and alignment with the Residency objectives to determine if Antler is the right fit for you and vice versa. Be prepared to share:
- Why you’re applying to Antler
- Why now is the right time for you
- What unique qualities and experiences you bring to the table
For teams be prepared to pitch your startup deck and/or demo your MVP in this first meeting.
Partner Interview
The next stage is an in-depth interview with one of our fund partners. Simple instructions will be shared on email when invited for the meeting, so you’ll know how to prepare. Ideally all Partner interviews take place in-person at Antler’s office (ABC place) for all candidates based in Nairobi.
Coffee Chat
This final interview round is a conversation designed to explore your ambition and leadership qualities a bit further. It’s an opportunity for us to understand you in a more casual setting, and for you to ask us any questions you may have before committing to the journey.
What to expect once you join Antler in Nairobi
While all Antler Residencies have the same objective, each location takes a tailored approach to ensure founders have the best experience and highest chance of getting funded. In Nairobi, the Antler Residency runs twice a year for 10 weeks where founders join our founder community at ABC place to build a brand new startup from scratch or accelerate their existing ventures.
Phase 1: Business model validation/acceleration
This first phase of the Founder Residency lasts 5 weeks and consist of sessions like the following:
- Weekly 1-1 problem solving sessions with the Antler team and network of advisors to firm up or accelerate your startup idea
- Peer support and regular feedback from your fellow Antler community members, where you may also find your co-founder
- Speaker sessions covering highly relevant topics for your startup journey (e.g. fundraising best practices, growth hacking, and more)
Phase 2: Sharpening your value proposition
During these last 5 weeks of the Founder Residency, you will dedicate your full-time efforts to refine your idea and business model with strong customer focus and interaction. For existing startups, this is the time to truly excel along your main KPIs, such as revenues, returning users, etc. You will need to sharpen up the details of your business plan, and start preparing for the Antler Investment Committee (IC). This stage of the program will consist of the same elements as outlined in Phase 1, but in addition also:
- Pitch practice, lifting both the quality of your deck as well as ability to communicate it effectively in different situations
- Stress-testing your idea with other VCs in Antler’s network that will allow you to build relationships and challenge your thinking
Pitch to Antler’s Investment Committee
At the end of the Founder Residency, founders and teams deemed ready will pitch to our Investment Committee (IC). Funded startups receive:
- $100k for 10% equity to take your idea to market, released immediately as cash into your startup (no fees or deductions apply)
- $150k additional pre-committed capital to match your next VC-led investor round and terms. Matching capital will make it easier to close your next funding round, and minimizes founder dilution early-on by unlocking the second amount at the next round valuation
- Tech-credit package worth >$2 million (including credits worth $350k from Google Cloud, $200k from AWS startups, $15k from Anthropic, $25k from GitHub for startups, and more)
The investment
Antler’s first investment in a company is up to $250k, split into an initial ticket of $100k for 10% equity plus an additional pre-committed $150k to match your next VC-led investor round and terms. In a tough funding climate, we believe this matching capital will make it easier to close your next funding round, and minimizes founder dilution early-on by investing the second amount at the next round valuation.
In addition we offer more than $850k in tech-credits to all founders joining Antler (which goes up to $2 million in value once a founder becomes an Antler portfolio company), free office space in our founder community at ABC place, and access to Antler’s global network of mentors, investors and fellow founders!
David N
Founder & CTO
HoneyCoin
John Kiptum
CEO
Churpy
Sneha Mutha
CEO
UNCOVER
What I love about Antler is when you have them on your cap table, you're not just getting $$$ but the most amazing community of founders & investors, as well as a war chest of resources to build your company with.
As a second-time founder, I came to Antler to find a like-minded co-founder and discover scalable business ideas that could fit into the African market. I learned a lot from the masterclasses, and the coaching from the Antler team has been from professionals worldwide. The alumni connections and the network Antler have been great.
The Antler team is truly in it with you. They don’t just provide money but are there for advice, intros, moral support, and most importantly community: the people we meet and interact with are just incredible through the Antler network. It not only makes founding easier but so much fun!
Companies in the Antler Africa portfolio are disrupting the continent by solving real challenges
35+
Portfolio companies
$35m+
follow-on equity funding raised
500+
Founders supported
$20M+
Follow-on funding raised
What companies is Antler looking to fund?
Antler is a sector agnostic VC fund, looking to invest in scalable tech- and tech-light innovation driving transformative change in Africa.
Our goal is to identify and be the first investor in exceptional individuals and early-stage teams. Think of it as an angel investor, just that we are a global VC willing to take risk by betting on you as a founder from day zero.
The tech companies we fund are typically solving large and scalable problems, building defensible technology, platforms, infrastructure, or software designed to scale across borders and unlock outsized returns.
Tech-light innovation looks a little different, but the ambition is the same: founders solving equally large problems through creative, asset-light business models where technology powers the business rather than sitting at its core.
Prior startups we have funded typically have founders with 5-15 years of work experience, working to solve problems in their area of past subject matter expertise. This is not a must, but we have seen the unfair advantage it can create when you know exactly where the monetizable problems are and have a network that can open doors when needed - making you move further and faster!
FREQUENTLY —ASKED QUESTIONS
You don’t need to have an incorporated company, a co-founder or a finished product - what we would like to see is the drive of a founder who’s all in! We encourage you to apply if you are a founder grappling with an ambitious problem statement, with unique insight into how to solve it from your past first-hand experiences. Most founders joining Antler’s Founder Residency have 5-15 years of prior work experience and we love when founders are utilizing their own subject matter expertise as it can truly give a founder an unfair advantage in the space you are trying to build.
We are sector agnostic and welcome startups from any industry, with innovation and scalability as our primary criteria. We invest in both tech- and tech-light business models, emphasizing the importance of using creative and impactful solutions to address market needs. While not every business needs technology as its core driver, we seek founders leveraging innovation to build competitive, scalable, and transformative ventures.
We accept founders that are pre-product. Through the Antler Residency founders iterate, improve, and articulate the problem they want to solve, and refine the quality of their solution.
We strongly encourage founders without an idea (or unable to pick from too many ideas) to reflect on their personal strengths, subject matter expertise and passion.
It is possible to go from no idea to a funded startup in 10 weeks through the Antler Residency, but most of the time it requires prior first-hand expertise in the area you are building to move quickly enough through the customer validation journey and develop a solid solution. It does happen that strong founders kill or change their idea entirely in the first few weeks of the Residency and are still able to land funding in week 10.
Yes, founders often join with some elements already in place, like an MVP, early customers, or a team in place. You should apply if you believe that Antler can be catalytic to your startup journey. Beyond the capital (up to $250k), we offer up to $2 million in tech-credits, free office space in our founder community at ABC place, and access to Antler’s global network of mentors, investors and fellow founders. We work hands-on with founders at different stages to build further and faster than they would alone.
Being a founder demands your full dedication and attention, and we expect founders to be willing to invest in getting their ideas off the ground and growing as quickly as possible. Therefore, the Antler Residency is a full-time commitment. The 10 week Residency is also Antler's due diligence to assess a founder's ability to execute on their vision, which we believe to be one of the most important founder traits.
There are no Residency “fees” in Antler Kenya, so all the outlined capital goes directly to the startup as cash to help grow the venture.
In addition to the above mentioned capital we offer more than $850k in tech-credits to all founders joining Antler (which goes up to $2 million in value once a founder becomes an Antler portfolio company), free office space in our founder community at ABC place, and access to Antler’s global network of mentors, investors and fellow founders.
Yes, the Antler Nairobi Residency is open to founders from all over Africa and beyond who are committed to relocating to Nairobi to build their venture out of this market. We believe building from one of the largest venture backed ecosystems in Africa will make it easier to attract the further capital needed to expand into the wider region or beyond.
Highly. We back fewer than 1% of applicants. That means you’ll be surrounded by exceptional peers.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unfortunately unable to provide individualized or detailed feedback to applicants.
MEET THE TEAM
Marie is a Partner at Antler Africa, based in Nairobi. She’s a past startup founder, exiting her paper recycling company in Ethiopia in 2021. Previously, she was an associate principal at McKinsey & Company and holds a master's degree in economic analysis from the Norwegian School of Economics.
EXPAND BIO
Kosen is Principal at Antler Africa, based in Nairobi. He was previously a business consultant at Open Capital Advisors, where he worked with clients across East and West Africa across various sectors. He is also an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, holding a Bachelors of Laws degree from Strathmore University.
EXPAND BIO
Pulkit is a serial entrepreneur who has spent the last 15 years building, scaling, and successfully exiting businesses across a range of industries, including Automotive, Ag-Tech, SaaS, Health-Tech, and Food-Tech. He works closely with Antler’s portfolio companies to refine ideas, build strong teams, and accelerate their path to scale.
EXPAND BIO
Leila leads founder sourcing, ecosystem engagement, and strategic partnerships across the region.
Her previous experience includes the Swedish Trade Council, where she focused on market entry and commercial expansion strategies in Africa. Leila is also a seasoned event curator, having designed and led high-impact initiatives for global organizations including Google, Coca-Cola, H&M Foundation, and Women In Tech Sweden.
EXPAND BIO
Ashish is a Fractional CTO at Antler Africa and an Antler founder alumni.
He provides early-stage founders with technical advisory, product strategy, and hands-on guidance for building scalable tech. Asish is also instrumental in the recruitment of critical engineering talent and potential co-founders.
Ashish brings over 20 years of software engineering experience spanning startups and major enterprises across both the US and East Africa. He is also an active Angel Investor with NaiBAN.
EXPAND BIO